Hundreds of firework events, or, hanabi, as it’s called in Japan, are held in Japan every summer. It’s become a special tradition to celebrate summer, where, almost every single day in July and August, a firework show will be held somewhere. Why summer? The tradition of hanabi originated from Obon – a Japanese Buddhist custom

In Japan, Omiyage, is the term that describes bringing back souvenirs for friends or family after travelling. Gift giving after a trip is some serious business in Japan; it’s almost expected—at home and in the workplace—for anyone who’s gone away, whether for travel or business, to bring back omiyage. Fortunately, you’re not expected to bring

Bonsai is the japanese art of growing miniature trees in containers. This art comes from the Chinese tradition of penjing, and it is a thousand years old tradition. Bonsai is the japanese pronunciation of the earlier chinese term penzai. Meaning planting in tray. They are meant for contemplation and the pleasure of growing it as

Japan’s no exception when it comes to celebrating Christmas, but there are some differences that will shake those of us familiar with the traditional meaning of Christmas. For starters, in Japan, Christmas doesn’t have the same Christian values as Western countries, but that isn’t too much of a surprise considering only less than 1% of the population are Christians. Despite religion being absent,

Haruki Murakami is a famed author both in Japan and around the world. Among his many popular novels, “After Dark” is one of our favourites. The story starts off at midnight with an unknown person looking down on the busy downtown streets of Japan. The scene then goes into the family restaurant “Denny’s” where a girl named Mari

Many people (including artists) will agree that Posca paint markers are the perfect tools to color on almost any kind of surface. Posca markers are water-based, but the paint is both opaque and a fluid, smooth and dense with wide coverage. It can be mixed, diluted and overlaid. The final rendering is actually similar to

Enjoy a winter wonderland without the snow! Japan is famous for its winter illumination, and Nabana no Sato (なばなの里) in Mie is no exception. Located close to Nagashima Spa Land, and easily reachable by express bus from Nagoya Bus Station or by train and free shuttle bus, it is a great escape from the bustle

Halloween isn’t very popular in Japan, but perhaps this awesome apartment building will change that. This apartment is located in the city of Hamamatsu, and it’s designed to look like a witch house, giving the neighborhood a fairy tale feeling. Be sure to visit here when you travel to Japan and enjoy your next Halloween!

Yayoi Kusama (草間 彌生 or 弥生 Kusama Yayoi, born March 22, 1929) is a Japanese artist and writer. Throughout her career she has worked in a wide variety of media, including painting, collage, sculpture, performance art, and environmental installations, most of which exhibit her thematic interest in psychedelic colors, repetition and pattern. A precursor

The Great Wave off Kanagawa (神奈川沖浪裏 Kanagawa-Oki Nami-Ura?, “Under a Wave off Kanagawa”), also known as The Great Wave or simply The Wave, is an ukiyo-e woodblock print by Japanese artist Hokusai, published sometime between 1830 and 1833, in the late Edo period as the first print in Hokusai’s series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji